Desmid of the month
July 2015

Actinotaenium inconspicuum

Cells of Actinotaenium inconspicuum are narrowly cylindric with (truncately) rounded apices. With its tiny cel dimensions (in particular its small breadth) A. inconspicuum is an inconspicuous species indeed. Those cell dimensions and, linked to that, a relatively large length to breadth ratio, consitutes one of its most important discriminating features with respect to other Actinotaenium species.
Because of the small cell dimensions, under the light microscope, details of chloroplast configuration and cell wall sculpturing usually are obscure so cannot be used for identification. In the Netherlands, A. inconspicuum is rather widely distributed in mesotrophic habitats but often overlooked.